Legalised Piracy Courtesy of Antigua?

[Pielstick]

http://news.techeye.net/internet/ant...blessed-piracy

The gist of it:

- US govt blocks access to Antiguan based online casinos.
- Antiguan govt not happy as it's quite big business for them - go to WTO.
- WTO says US govt is in the wrong, US govt ignores WTO ruling.
- Antiguan govt says it's going to set up a website selling movies, music and software and not pay the US based copyright holders.

So if we buy something from this website, it's sort of government sanctioned piracy.... would that make us privateers?

Discuss.

[DarthLazy]

Do the Antiguans pay you to do it ?

[Slaytaninc]

This is not going to end well.

For the US government or Antigua.

[Colonel Dax]

Good, now all that's left to do is find Antigua on a map (my Caribbean/South American geography is a bit rusty...).

[Derpy Hooves]

http://news.techeye.net/internet/ant...blessed-piracy

The gist of it:

- US govt blocks access to Antiguan based online casinos.
- Antiguan govt not happy as it's quite big business for them - go to WTO.
- WTO says US govt is in the wrong, US govt ignores WTO ruling.
- Antiguan govt says it's going to set up a website selling movies, music and software and not pay the US based copyright holders.

So if we buy something from this website, it's sort of government sanctioned piracy.... would that make us privateers?

Discuss.

Can I please smell a war

[I WUB PUGS]

I'm really pissed at the title of this thread. You can't say piracy and include a Caribbean island and not have people thinking about this sort of pirate:

[Vanoi]

I'm really pissed at the title of this thread. You can't say piracy and include a Caribbean island and not have people thinking about this sort of pirate:

Exactly. I was thinking of actual pirates when i saw this thread

[Pielstick]

For the South Park fans here, what I think we have is an inter-governmental Rochambeau.

I'm intrigued as to how the software will be sold? Most software nowadays requires a serial number and will "call home" to verify it. Surely the software producers/publishers will not issue serial numbers or licenses for the Antiguans to sell?

[TheDarkKnight]

I too expected more out of this thread title...

[removeduser_4536284751384]

I'm having trouble judging between two interpretations of this dispute. Either the USA is undermining liberal international relations, which is a bad thing and they deserve any repurcussions that come their way, or Antigua is getting upset over the USA exercising its sovereignty within its borders, and the WTO has somehow jumped on the bandwagon.

"Government-authorised piracy would undermine chances for a settlement," said a spokeswoman for the US Trade Representative's office. "It would also serve as a major impediment to foreign investment in the Antiguan economy, particularly in hi-tech industries".


It looks like the USA will strike back.

[DimeBagHo]

As far as the WTO ruling goes this is not an infingement on US sovereignty. The US could make internet gambling illegal if it wanted to, but it has not. Instead it has just blocked internet gambling on sites outside the US; an action which the WTO has correctly judged to be protectionism.

Antigua's response is a common type of enforcement measure taken against such protectionism. The advantage of this type of action is that it costs Antigua nothing. They still get the American goods, they just don't have to pay for them.

Bottom line: US intellectual property rights are only valid in Antigua because of various trade agreements. The US is currently violating one of those trade agreements. The US should stop whining and start complying with it's obligations.

[Slaytaninc]

I'm having trouble judging between two interpretations of this dispute. Either the USA is undermining liberal international relations, which is a bad thing and they deserve any repurcussions that come their way, or Antigua is getting upset over the USA exercising its sovereignty within its borders, and the WTO has somehow jumped on the bandwagon.

"Government-authorised piracy would undermine chances for a settlement," said a spokeswoman for the US Trade Representative's office. "It would also serve as a major impediment to foreign investment in the Antiguan economy, particularly in hi-tech industries".


It looks like the USA will strike back.

To me it sounded like they were blocking Americans from accessing gambling in Antigua.

Now, I think the whole restrictions on gambling comes from a strain of Christian puritanism that has remained across the board. Lot's of places have no problem with lotteries, but slot machines are bad bad bad, let alone the tax revenue increased gambling would lead to in the US.

At any rate if the US can block people from gambling online outside of the US, they can stop access to this website

[Pielstick]

Now, I think the whole restrictions on gambling comes from a strain of Christian puritanism that has remained across the board. Lot's of places have no problem with lotteries, but slot machines are bad bad bad, let alone the tax revenue increased gambling would lead to in the US.

My understanding is that the US government only blocked online casinos which are based outside of the US. Those based inside the US are still allowed to conduct their business...

At any rate if the US can block people from gambling online outside of the US, they can stop access to this website

But they can't block the rest of the worlds' access.

[Slaytaninc]

My understanding is that the US government only blocked online casinos which are based outside of the US. Those based inside the US are still allowed to conduct their business...

In the US, gambling is up to the states. I suspect it's just illegal in some states, and it's a jurisdiction outside the US.

But they can't block the rest of the worlds' access.

Who says they did? I didn't see such spelled out in the article. It's not an unreasonable assumption, I just don't see it declared.

[Dragus]

That's definitely interesting. I hope that too much economic suffering doesn't occur due to how the United States government may or may not react.

[pajomife]

I dont get the point. There are so many torrent sites in the net,everybody can get anything, why a country do it?

[Pielstick]

Because the US has kicked Antigua in the balls, and now Antigua wants to kick the US in the balls.

From what I understand US copyright doesn't apply in Antigua so they can sell US produced movies and music, presumably cheaper than the normal places and technically it won't be piracy - similar to those Russian websites about 6-7 years ago that used a legal loophole to sell music albums for a couple of £/$/€. I also think the Antiguans are savvy enough to know copyright infringement is a hot topic for the US government and they want to piss the Americans off for pulling the rug out from underneath a big part of the Antiguan economy.

[Sir Adrian]

Because the state gains nothing from torrent sites, and America would most likely rolfstomp any "private" pirates now that their prestige is on the table.
By selling directly, the Antiguan government ensured that all revenue from sales and publicity goes directly to the budget (as opposed to some foreign website), and that America can't do about stopping the pirates because thy are protected by the government.



what I first thought when I saw the thread title: "By the gods of sky and sea, set sail for Antiguaaaaaa!!!."

[Pielstick]

http://www.caribarena.com/antigua/ne...uthorized.html

Some interesting bits:

Authorization was given on Monday by the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which, in 2007, ruled that the country has the right to levy US$21 million worth of sanctions annually as a retaliatory measure against the US in the cross border gaming dispute that spans a decade.

"We are in the process of assessing our options, analysing the legal issues and developing a scheme for imposing the suspension of concessions and other obligations approved by the DSB should we, in the event, determine to do so."

In a statement issued on Monday, Minister of Finance and the Economy Harold Lovell insisted that the US act in accordance with the WTO decisions in this matter "before we move forward with the implementation of the sanctions."